Partners
by NALEY23alwaysforever
Summary: Every Valentine's Day Jay and Erin have spent together. A Valentine's Day story for my Linstead fam x Rated T for Language!


**A/N: Hey everyone! Belated Valentine's Day to you all. Here's a little something I wrote for all my sad Linstead fans out there missing them this Valentine's Day (and everyday tbh) based off a prompt I wrote down ages ago**

**Sorry for an grammatical errors, it's 3am in Australia so I am extremely sleep deprived at this point :P**

**Enjoy!**

'_They had spent every Valentine's Day together since they were first partnered up. And somewhere along the way, they had gone from being partners to __**partners**__.'_

* * *

_**Valentine's Day, 2014**_

Erin sighed as she looked at the clock. They had been on this stakeout for five hours. She was growing incredibly frustrated. Why couldn't Voight have assigned the newbies to this? Atwater and Ruzek needed the experience more than she did.

"Okay, seriously? What the heck is up your ass today?" Jay laughed looking over at his partner.

Erin glared back at him "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you've been shuffling around in your seat every five minutes and fidgeting like crazy. I thought you were a pro at stakeouts, why are you so annoyed today?"

Jay lifts up the camera as another person walks out of the location they're watching, clicking a few photos before looking at Erin again.

"I just … had plans tonight. Plans that, thanks to Voight, I most likely will not get time to do now." Erin grumbled.

"Valentine's Day plans? Wow," Jay drawled "Who would've thought the hard-ass Detective Lindsay was really a big ol' softie inside?"

Erin rolls her eyes, punching Jay's shoulder "It's not like that."

"Look, if you would rather be with the Fireman getting your 'stop, drop and roll' on don't let me stop you." Jay shrugs "I can just call Ruzek and tell him to come swap places with you."

"No, we have a job to do and I intend to do it. Besides, Kelly doesn't do Valentine's." Erin replies looking out the window.

"But you do?" Erin shifts in her seat; Jay can tell she's growing uncomfortable by this line of questioning.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to. I'm just trying to make conversation to pass the time." He continues.

Erin sighs, turning to face him "It's not like I'm the type of person who loves Valentine's Day, okay? I think it's nice that there's a day to treat someone you love extra special, but I don't want a man to treat me special on Valentine's Day just because it's Valentine's Day, you know? And Kelly and I just aren't that romantic couple, so I know that if he did some big Valentine's thing for me, he'd be doing it because he felt obligated to; not because he wanted to."

Jay nods his agreement, taking photos again as more people enter and exit the establishment.

"So, what plans did you have then?" he asks.

Erin smiles shyly "Don't make fun of me, but I normally use Valentine's Day as a self-love day. Usually it's when I'm not in a relationship, but I figured I'd do it this year since Kelly and I aren't doing anything. I order in a nice meal, have a drink and spend the night in the bath with a drink or two."

Jay smiles reassuringly "That sounds like a really nice night actually. I'm sorry Voight stuffed it up."

"It's part of the job. Not much we can do about it," Erin shrugs turning her attention towards Jay "How about you? What's your take on Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, I don't think you'd like what I have to say about February 14th." Jay laughs.

"Come on, humour me." Erin pushes.

Jay looks at her, contemplating if this is a wise idea, before speaking "Basically, I think it's a social construct deeply rooted in capitalism. It's all so heavily commercialised now, most people don't even care about the real history of Valentine's Day. And I just don't see the point in having this _one_ special day to treat your loved ones; if you really love them, shouldn't you be taking every opportunity you have to let them know that they're special to you? If Valentine's Day is the one day you're putting effort in, there's something wrong with your relationship."

"Wow." Erin says softly.

"Sorry, I- "

"No, it's fine," Erin chuckles "Honestly, I'm inclined to agree with you on most of those things. I'm just surprised, I really thought you were the type to secretly be really into Valentine's Day."

Jay shakes his head "It's not really my type of thing. But I'd like to believe that if there was someone I really cared for, I'd want to make at least some effort for them if they really loved this day, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that. I'd like to think if someone loved me enough, they'd know how much I like this holiday, and make a little effort. I don't need rose petals all over the bed and a thousand candles, or diamonds or any of that fancy shit everyone gets sucked into buying. But just even the smallest thing goes a long way."

They both smile, getting lost in each other's eyes for a moment. They can feel the tension building, neither of them sure what's about to happen but not stopping it either way. But before they have a chance to see where it's going, Erin sees their suspect walking into the establishment out of the corner of her eye, and as much as she doesn't want to, she knows she has to.

Erin leans back into her seat facing forward, a confused look taking over Jay's face before he does the same, "Uh, suspect's walking in. I'll let Voight know."

Jay quickly pulls the camera back up, hastily snapping pictures before the man is inside while Erin sends off a quick text to Voight. He replies back informing her that another team will be coming in the next hour to replace them, and Erin feels a grateful relief wash over her. She doesn't know if she can trust herself to be alone in a small space with Jay for much longer.

"Another team's coming in the next hour." Erin chuckles softly.

"Well at least you won't be stuck with me much longer." Jay quips back.

Erin smiles at him "You know, if I have to be stuck here, at least I'm stuck here with you."

Jay's heart warms at her comment, but he shakes it off quickly "Well of course you are. Ruzek or Atwater would've driven you crazy, and Antonio's so laser-focused on the task at hand he doesn't even bother conversing with you; makes stakeouts feel like a twelve-day marathon. I'm the best option you got, Lindsay."

"Actually, my first choice would've been Al. He's always got a flask on hand; my kind of man." Erin smirks back

Jay places his hand over his heart looking shocked "You wound me, love."

Erin rolls her eyes as he laughs, trying to brush off the way her heart felt when he called her 'love'; almost like it skipped a beat hearing the word.

The flashing of lights behind them breaks them out of their conversation. Jay looks in the rear-view mirror, nodding at Ruzek and Olinsky who have pulled up behind them. Erin starts the car and slowly pulls out onto the street.

It's quiet between them the entire drive to his apartment. At the time they were preparing for this, Voight hadn't been sure how long they would be on shift. So, Erin had told Jay to drop his car at home and she would pick him up from there.

Erin pulled up outside his apartment building, parking the car and facing him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She says as he steps out of the car.

"Yeah, thanks for the lift." Jay says tapping the door and walking away.

Erin watches him for a moment, making sure he's passed the entrance gate. But he stops short and turns around walking back to her, Erin looking at him confused. Jay stands in front of her door, leaning down and rest his arm on the open window so he can look at her properly.

"You're going to get it one day Erin." He says suddenly.

Erin looks even more confused "Get what?"

"That man you described earlier. I like the Fireman well enough, but you and I both know he's not the one. But it's gonna happen one day, I just … I just want you to know that. The guy who treats you special, who makes the effort for you not just on Valentine's Day but every day. The one who will never let you doubt how much he loves you. It's coming."

Erin swallows down the lump in her throat, looking into his eyes "And how can you be so sure?"

Jay smiles leaning in further "Because if anyone deserves to be treated special by the one they love, it's you. You've been through so much, you're the toughest person I know. You deserve to be treated right, to be loved and to be made happy."

"Thank you. I think that's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard you say, Jay Halstead." She says softly, trying to break the moment she feels building between them again.

"I mean every word of it, Lindsay." Jay smiles.

He hesitates for a moment, looking at her sceptical eyes before he leans in and places a kiss on her cheek. He knows that when he wakes up tomorrow morning, things will be back to normal, and they'll pretend this never happened. So why not take a shot while he can?

"Goodnight Erin, Happy Valentine's Day." He says walking back to his apartment building.

"Goodnight Jay." She whispers, hand pressed against her tingling cheek.

Jay looks back at her as he pushes the security gate open, smirking at Erin as she sits with a shocked expression on her face. His confident look shakes her out of her trance, coughing loudly before putting the car into Drive and quickly driving off.

Erin lets out a deep breath as she turns the street.

Jay Halstead was so far embedded in her brain, she couldn't shake him even if she wanted to.

* * *

_**Valentine's Day, 2015**_

Erin let out a heavy breath as she leaned against the steering wheel, closing her eyes.

It had been an intense day. She's had many in her career, especially in Intelligence, but something about working for the Federal Task Force felt particularly … draining. Erin silently counted to ten, bracing herself before turning the key out of the ignition grabbing her bag and heading up to her apartment.

It was nearing 11pm, and she would have to be up at 6 to get to work. Although their team had been told they wouldn't need to come in until 10, Erin knew they would be in by 8 and was determined to be there first. She hadn't felt this intimidated in IU but being the only woman on the Task Force – and second in command – made her feel the need to prove her worth. To show her male colleagues that she deserved this spot, that she had earned the right to be here.

Erin was broken out of her thoughts when she reached the top of the staircase leading to her apartment door, stopping short as she saw the entry door cracked open slightly. Nadia was spending the night at Mouse's, so no one was home.

Her hand went to the gun on her holster, keeping one hand tightly gripped around it as she approached the door. Erin pushed it open slowly placing her bag just inside and drawing her gun, keeping it up as she entered.

The living room was dark, looking the same as it had when she left this morning. Light streamed in from her kitchen, Erin jumping slightly when she heard something '_clang_' against the floor.

"Shit!" Erin lets out a breath as she hears the voice, holding her weapon down against her leg as she walks into the room.

"Jay, what the hell!?" She exclaims, holstering her gun "I almost shot you."

Jay smiles sheepishly "Well I'm glad you didn't. I'd much rather spend this night in your bed than the hospital's."

Erin rolls her eyes as she takes the beer he holds out, downing a large sip. She moves so she's standing next to Jay, hip-checking him as he stirs something in the pan on her stove.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how did you even get in here?" Erin asks sipping the beer.

Jay pinches the bottle from her grasp, taking a sip "Did you forget you gave me a spare key, back when I had that bounty out on me?"

"Yeah, remind me to get that back." Erin jokes stealing the beer bottle back "You said you had plans tonight."

"I do. With you." He states simply.

"okay, and why exactly did you feel the need to break into my apartment and start cooking whatever this is that smells so delicious?" Erin asks looking at the pan on her cooktop.

"It's risotto," Jay replies "did you think I would forget what today is?"

Erin shrugs in reply "We hadn't really discussed it, I didn't want to make it seem like it was a big deal. It's really not."

"Erin, I may not be 100% sure of where this thing between us is headed, but I know that we aren't just some casual, friends-with-benefits type of thing." Jay says seriously "Unless I've been reading the situation wrong?"

Erin shakes her head quick to reply "You haven't. I just didn't know where we stood with Valentine's Day. We've only been doing this for like a month, and you didn't bring it up, so I didn't either. I didn't think we were that serious yet."

Jay turns the pan to a low heat letting go of the wooden spoon before turning to face her. He wraps his arms around her waist and Erin's free arm automatically takes resident along his shoulder, her hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Look, this doesn't have to be some big declaration of love or anything. But it just didn't feel right to let Valentine's Day completely slide either; you mean more to me than that. And I know how much you enjoy this day."

"And I know how much you hate this day." Erin counters.

Jay sighs "True. But it's like we said; it shouldn't be the only day you make someone feel special. I'd like to think there are other days I've made you feel special. Because I know there are days that you've done that for me.:

"Of course, you have. You've made me feel special back when we were just partners," Erin smiles giving him a quick kiss "thank you. This is really sweet.

Jay smiles pulling back from her slightly, freeing up one hand in order to continue stirring the food "Well I'm glad you like it, but that's not all. Check that out."

Erin's gaze follows to where he motions, spying a basket on the dining table. She walks over and sees a variety of face masks, facial and body scrubs, candles and a bottle of her favourite whiskey.

"Nadia helped me pick out some of the stuff." Jay admitted, turning his head to look at her momentarily.

"I can't believe you remembered all of this." Erin sounds shocked, looking back at him confused as she picks up a documentary DVD "uh, what is this?"

Jay chuckles as he sees what she's holding "You showed me a different side to you that night on our stakeout, so I thought I would show you a different side to me; Jay Halstead the nerd."

Erin looks sceptical "I find it hard to believe you were ever a nerd."

"I wasn't a complete nerd, but I had a very nerdy side to me. My mum and I used to sit and watch documentaries together after school, and I just fell in love with them. I still do it now, whenever I get the chance," Jay grins "I figured you could have your relaxing night of pamper while we sit and watch this documentary I picked out. Felt like a win-win kind of night. Why don't you go change and get started? Dinner's just about done."

"That sounds good," Erin agrees "But you have to put on a face mask."

Jay's face drops "No way."

"Come on Jay, there's a present in it for you if you do …" Erin smirks walking towards the bedroom.

Jay furrows his brow confused, turning the stove off before stepping into the hallway following her with his eyes as she walks into the bedroom leaving the door open.

Jay's mouth almost drops to the floor when she unbuttons her white blouse, pulling off her nude camisole to reveal the lacy red lingerie she was wearing. She looked absolutely breath-taking, like always. She could wear a ratty old t-shirt and three-day-old sweats and she'd still turn him on, Jay thought to himself.

"You said you weren't planning on seeing me tonight. You got another date I don't know about Lindsay?" Jay jokes as she pulls her skirt down, revealing the matching panties she wore.

Erin smirks looking at him over her shoulder "Maybe I was planning on stopping by your apartment depending on how late my case went."

Jay looks at her breathlessly "Baby, you could show up in that any time of day."

Erin turns around the face him, standing confidently tall as he looked her up and down "So, what do you think; the Vitamin C mask or the brightening serum one?"

"Fuck the face masks," Jay says rushing into the room and sweeping her up into his arms "I got some other ideas for how we can practice that self-care."

Erin giggles wrapping her legs around him as he lifts her "I thought you might."

Jay walks them over to the bed, placing Erin down on the mattress and pulling his shirt over his head,

"You know, I think Valentine's Day is about to become my favourite holiday."

* * *

_**Valentine's Day, 2016**_

"I really hate you right now." Jay grumbles slouching further into his seat.

"Would you quit complaining? It's been three hours."

He can hear Erin's laughter through the darkness, which only infuriates him further. He wants to be able to see her face; he loves how carefree she looks when she laughs.

"Er, you know I hate surprises. I've been as patient as I can be, but if you don't tell me what the heck is going on soon, I'm going to rip this stupid blindfold off."

Jay had been startled when Erin knocked on his front door at 5:30am, especially since she was _not_ at all a morning person. She had told him to have a shower and get dressed while she packed him a bag, then taken him down to the car and told him to wear the bright orange blindfold she had given him until it was time to remove it.

He had decided to humour, thinking it would be a quick and fun trip. But what had resulted was a near three-hour car ride completely sightless with only Erin's occasional hints on where they were going to pass the time.

"Babe, it's our first official Valentine's together. I just wanted to do something nice for you, please just wait five more minutes. We really are almost there, I promise."

He wasn't sure if it was because he couldn't see her, but Erin's voice had a pleading desperation to it that tugged at his heart. He hated surprises, but dammit he loved her.

The realisation startled him, but he wasn't surprised by his feelings. He just couldn't believe he had finally admitted what his heart has been trying to get out to his brain for so long.

Jay Halstead was in love with Erin Lindsay.

The car came to a slow stop, jerking slightly as Erin put the gear into _Park_ and stepped out. Jay turned his head panicked before he heard his door open too, Erin taking hold of his hand and helping him step out of the car and walk belong side her.

"Can I take it off yet?" Jay asked, a child-like whine in his voice.

"One minute," Erin laughs softly guiding him and stopping a moment later "okay, now!"

Jay grabbed at the blindfold trying to undo the knot before impatiently grabbing the top of the material at his eyes and pulling it down to lay around his neck. His smile grew tenfold as he saw the beautiful cottage-style house in front of him.

"You said you'd never come here." Jay looked at her.

Erin smirked "I said I wasn't retiring in Wisconsin, a weekend away is a different thing entirely. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I can't believe this … wait, the whole weekend? You got us time off work too?" Jay looks at her shocked.

Erin grins proudly nodding "Voight approved it weeks ago, even organised Kim and Roman to fill in for us if needed."

"Well, colour me impressed Lindsay." Jay wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in to him "This is gonna be the best weekend I've had in a while."

Jay leaned down to kiss her, Erin wrapping her arms around his shoulders pulling him further into her. They pulled away gasping for air a few minutes later.

"We should go in," Erin said breathlessly "Don't need to give your neighbours a free show."

Jay shrugs kissing along her neck "Closest neighbours are a two mile radius out. We can do whatever we want, wherever we want."

"Don't tempt me." Erin took Jay's hand, breaking away and pulling him with her towards the front door, "Come show me around, we can put on a show later; I may be wearing some other gifts for you to unwrap too."

Jay groans following behind her "You don't play fair, Erin Lindsay."

…

Erin and Jay lay wrapped in each other's arms on the lawn chair in the backyard, the large beach towel the only thing covering their modesty. They had gone skinny-dipping in the lake that ran through the backyard, Erin insisting despite their access to the pool that his grandfather had installed six years ago.

It had been the perfect way to end their weekend. They felt like two young and carefree fools in love. It was a rarity they both enjoyed very much.

"Okay, maybe I could retire here." Erin says suddenly smiling up at Jay.

Jay looks down at her, his blue eyes reflecting in her hazel-brown "I don't remember asking you." He smirks back, referring to their conversation months ago when they had been sneaking around.

It felt like another lifetime completely. So much had happened between then and now. But in this moment, none of it mattered. He was happy being here with her, and he would take all the happiness he could get right now.

"You really seem to like inviting yourself to grow old out here with me, Er." Jay teases, his hand tickling her as it skims up her thigh.

Erin rolls her eyes at his comment, "shut up." She mumbles embarrassed, turning in the small space she has on the chair so her back is facing him.

Jay laughs placing his arm around her and pulling Erin's body tight against his.

"I would love nothing more than to have you here with me forever, Erin Lindsay."

Erin looks back at him surprised "You seem pretty confident about the future there, Halstead."

"Oh definitely," he smirks "I know what I want, and I'm not afraid to say it. We've dragged our feet for too long Erin, no longer."

Erin smiles in agreement, kissing his hand resting on her shoulder "Thank you for showing me Wisconsin."

"Thank you for bringing me. I don't like surprises, but I loved this one."

"Just making sure you feel special." Erin says with a shrug, turning in his arm and resting her head on his chest.

Jay smiles as she snuggles up against him. His heart swirls with warmth as he brushes the hair out of her face, her eyes fluttering shut as she begins to fade to sleep.

He was head over heels in love with her. Lord help him when he finally told her, Jay thought; because he knew once her told her, he'd never be able to stop telling her – or anybody else –

How much he loved her for as long as he lived.

* * *

_**Valentine's Day, 2017**_

Jay looked out the window at the night sky, the rain pouring down against their bedroom window. The New York skyline glistened in the background, shining brightly despite the gloomy weather.

It had been a perfect afternoon. They had both, miraculously, wrapped up their cases early and been given the rest of the day off. So they decided to order Chinese takeout from their favourite restaurant down the street from their apartment and had dinner in Central Park.

They walked home in the rain, laughing at every taxi, bus or car that drove passed and splashed more water up onto them. Once they got home Erin filled up the bath while Jay picked out a documentary for them to watch – something that had become a Valentine's Day tradition – before joining her to warm up from the cold downpour of rain.

He still hated face masks, but he wore them for her. They sat cuddled up in bed watching the documentary he picked out about the _Aurora Borealis_ – she sleepily mumbled that they should go visit, he kissed the top of her head and told her they would see it all one day.

Jay smiled as he gently removed the face mask from Erin, who had fallen asleep halfway through the documentary. He scrunched up the tissue throwing it blindly towards the bin before turning the TV off and looking down at her.

This Valentine's Day could have taken a very different turn.

When Erin had left for New York six months prior, leaving their relationship in complete limbo with her departure, it had broken both of them. Though they had technically broken up after she had found out he had a secret wife, and Jay moved out of their apartment, they both had seen it as a temporary situation. They had believed in their hearts that they would find their way back to one another.

But that had all changed when Bunny Fletcher had yet again managed to rope Erin into her drama. And it had changed once more when she had called him a week after she left, starting a chain of events that neither had anticipated; reaching its peak four months ago when Jay showed up at her front door.

…

_Erin sighed as she called Jay for the fourth time that night, worry building in her stomach. The rain poured gently outside; the clouds dark as they hung over the city of New York._

"_Hey, this is Jay Halstead. Sorry I can't take your call right now, but leave- "Erin ended the call, tossing her cell phone onto the couch next to her._

"_Ugh, where the hell is he!?" she groaned._

_They hadn't missed a phone call from one another in the entire four months they had been talking. It had started a week Erin had left; she had called him in a moment of weakness, and ever since they had been texting back and forth, calling each other every night to catch up and talk._

_It had been comforting to know they still had one another, despite the distance. In a way Erin felt connected to Chicago; her heart still felt connected to home._

_But she missed Jay terribly. It was worst on the cold nights, when the rain and thunder would thrash against her windows. She had always hated thunderstorms but having Jay with her made her feel safer. She knew nothing bad could happen when he was laying there next to her._

_Erin rolled her eyes at the thought; geez, she had become so co-dependant. But it had happened so gradually that she hadn't really noticed until he was no longer there every night with her. Until he was no longer by her side. That's when the loneliness really hit._

_That was what prompted her to call Jay the first time. It was one of the worst thunderstorms to hit New York in decades. Erin's building lost power and she was curled up in a ball on her couch staring out the window at the chaos._

_Jay stayed up with her until 4am, talking to her about anything and everything. _

_Erin shook her head, breaking herself out of the memory and reaching for her phone again. She sighed when she heard Jay's voicemail yet again._

"_Hey, it's me. Are you okay? Just, give me a call when you can … I'm probably worried over nothing, right? But I- just call me back." Erin said softly before hanging up._

_Half an hour passed. Erin paced her bedroom back and forth. Her phone rang an hour later, sighing in relief as she saw his name on the screen._

"_Are you okay?" Erin asked instantly, foregoing all pleasantries._

_Jay's soft laughter echoed through the phone "Yeah, sorry, just got caught up with something."_

_Erin heard a knock on her door, walking towards the living room as she frowned at his response._

"_What's going on? You don't sound like yourself." She pressed._

_Jay laughs again, his nerves more evident this time "Well, I did something a little impulsive. I'm worried it might not have been the best idea."_

_"Jay, what happened?" Erin asked as she swung the front door open "What did you-"_

_She stopped short when she saw the man on the phone standing in front of her, outside her apartment, in New York._

_Jay shrugged at Erin's shocked expression, her mouth hanging open "I told you it was impulsive."_

"_I … I don't understand. How are you here right now?" Erin whispers._

"_You know, they have this modern transportation called aeroplanes," Jay joked back "They get you to another city super-fast. I highly recommend it, although I gotta say the meal choices were pretty poor."_

"_Jay," Erin cut off his amused rambling "I don't understand. __**Why**__ are you here?"_

"… _I guess I just got sick of hearing your voice over the phone." Jay sighed "I'm tired of being alone Erin. Our apartment feels lonely without you, the District feels incomplete, Chicago feels wrong. And, __**I**__ feel empty without you."_

_Erin doesn't wait another second, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. She kisses him without hesitation, Jay dropping his bag to hold onto her, the force of her actions causing him to stumble back. But he catches on after a second, lifting Erin up into his arms and walking them back into her apartment. _

"_I've missed you so much." Erin mumbles against his lips "It's lonely without you here."_

"_I think we've both been lonely enough. No more." Jay murmurs in agreement._

…

Jay had called Hank the next day, letting him know he would be needing some time off. His boss had been annoyed by the last-minute notice, but once Jay and Erin explained the situation, he had understood better. They both took the week off work and spent the time reacquainting themselves with one another and trying to come up with a plan for their future.

They both knew that Erin couldn't return to Chicago, at least for the foreseeable future; there was too much bad blood and history there for her to truly live a life free of her mother or her past. Hank had helped call in some favours, and Jay had officially been transferred over to the New York Police Department's Narcotics division. It had been a familiar yet exciting opportunity for him; having worked in the Narcotics division for a couple months before transferring to Homicide and then Intelligence. Jay had enjoyed the change of pace. Intelligence was exciting, but it was a different type of excitement to this.

New York's drug scene was as bad, if not worse, than Chicago's and Jay had really begun to bond with his new team. They were all relatively new to the unit, which eased Jay's nerves since he wasn't the only new guy. It was not a path in life that he would've expected to take, Intelligence had been his goal for so long; but Erin was in New York, and he wanted a life with her more than he wanted a spot in Intelligence. It was that simple.

It amazed him how much their lives had changed in the last four months, let alone the last years since they had first met. If you had asked him then, who Erin Lindsay was to him? He would tell you she was his partner; the person who had his back every day on this job and vice versa.

She was still his partner, but the word meant so much more to him now. It described more than just someone he worked with. She was his partner in every aspect of his life; his best friend, confidant, support system, his back-up … you name it, and Erin Lindsay defined it for him. She was everything he never knew he needed.

Jay smiled as Erin rolled over in her sleep and snuggled into him. His heart swelled when her arm fell over his waist and she sighed contently. This felt right. It felt like home. Jay slowly reached his arm out to open the drawer of his bedside table, pulling out the red velvet box that lay inside.

His eyes looked to Erin's sleeping form before they fell on his mother's engagement ring. He couldn't wait to start the rest of his life with her.

They had both been through so much, fought so many obstacles to get to where they are now. But he wouldn't change a thing if he could. Because everything they had faced, they faced it together; as partners.

And it was how they would face every challenge. Hand-in-hand, as partners, for the rest of their lives.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! I tried to put as much detail in there without making the story too long; originally the Wisconsin part was looking to be 5000 words alone so I had to trim down majorly lol**

**Please drop a review and let me know what you thought! I'm hoping to post another one shot tomorrow (technically later today since it's 3:15am here…)**

**Have a lovely week x**

**\- Maddie :)**


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